SF Giants promote top outfield prospect Luis Matos, recall corner infielder

The SF Giants received some tough news in Tuesday's 11-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Mitch Haniger (forearm) and J.D. Davis (ankle) had to be removed from the game. Top outfield prospect Luis Matos is being added to the active roster.

SF Giants promote top outfield prospect Luis Matos, recall corner infielder

It was not hard to connect the dots. Almost as soon as Haniger and Davis sustained their injuries, both Matos and David Villar were removed in the middle of the game for the Sacramento River Cats. However, Marc Delucchi of Giants Baseball Insider confirmed that Matos is on his way to St. Louis.

Villar will be joining Matos in St. Louis. It is going to be tough to replace Davis and Haniger in the lineup if both do land on the injured list. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirmed that Haniger suffered a fractured forearm after being hit by Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty. Davis sustained an ankle sprain while sliding into third base.

The Haniger injury will sideline him for an extended period of time, which paves the way for a clear path of playing time for Matos. On the other hand, the Giants hope that Davis' ankle sprain is less severe. Haniger had been putting together good swings lately, whereas Davis has been one of the more consistent hitters in the lineup.

Giants fans have been clamoring for Matos all season. The top outfield prospect began the year in Double-A and posted a blistering .304/.399/.444 (138 wRC+) line with three home runs, 16 RBI, and 18 runs before earning a promotion to Triple-A.

The right-handed bat continued to thrive as he slashed .396/.434/.660 (158 wRC+) with six home runs, 19 RBI, and 20 runs in 114 plate appearances with Sacramento. He had nearly as many walks (7) as strikeouts (8) against Pacific Coast League pitching.

Matos was an especially torrid pace recently as he blasted four home runs over the last three games, including this long ball on Tuesday:

Of course, that was one of the last at-bats before he was promoted to the Giants. The 2023 season has been an exciting year for San Francisco in terms of player development and that trend will continue this week as one of the more intriguing prospects in the organization is set to debut.